Apple has unveiled its new portable computer, the iBook.
After the worldwide success of its colourful iMac desktop computer the company said it had responded to consumer demand for "an iMac to go".
The new iBook boasts many features found in larger desktop systems, a modem to connect to the Internet and a built-in carrying handle.
It comes in two eye-catching colours - blueberry and tangerine - and delicate parts of the case are covered in coloured rubber to protect it from bumps and knocks.
Using another new system called AirPort, the iBook can connect to the Internet without wires as long as it is fitted with a special card, and is within 150 feet of an AirPort base unit.
The basic iBook will reach US shops in September and costs the equivalent of about pounds 930. Adding the accessories needed to use AirPort will cost an additional pounds 250.
Design-wise, the iBook slightly resembles the eMate, a former Apple portable computer that earned respect for its simplicity and ease of use. Although designed for use in schools, it gained an appreciative audience among adult users, but was later discontinued.
Some eMate features, such as a curvaceous design and tough casing, have been re-born in the iBook.
The iMac personal computer will soon be a year old, and just under two million of them have been sold worldwide.
Mr Steve Jobs, chief executive officer of Apple, said that nine out of ten iMac buyers used their computers mainly for accessing the Internet. Worldwide, one in three iMacs were bought as first computers.
One of the most popular features of the iMac was its simplicity to set up.
Once lifted out of its box and placed on a table, Apple said it could be set up and connected to the Internet for the first time in under ten minutes, even by a beginner.
The instructions in the iMac box were limited to six photographs showing how to connect the keyboard and mouse to the computer, then plug it into a phone line. The final step was pressing the "on" switch.
Speaking to Apple customers at the MacExpo show in New York, where the iBook was announced, Mr Jobs said: "We asked people what they wanted, and what they said was an iMac to go, so that's what we made.
"The iBook is very beautiful, and very powerful, and it is the second fastest portable computer in the world, after our own PowerBook product.
"This finally completes our range of products. We are extremely excited about it."
A spokesman for Apple UK said he expected the iBook to be on sale in this country by the end of September, but could not say how much it would cost.
For the technically minded, the iBook boasts a 12.1 inch TFT screen, 3.2GB hard disk, 32MB RAM (expandible to 160MB), a 56KBps modem, 300MHz G3 processor, CD-Rom drive, full-sized keyboard, USB and Ethernet ports, and six-hour battery life.
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